The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1887-05-26

Gen. Wickham, on the Goth, to repeal all
acts which interfered the enforcement of
the Riddleberger proposition, was man.
Iy confession that lie had made a mistake
in former bill he had introduced, affect
| iLg the coupons. If we remember right
the act of the Legislature which absolutely
repudiated the coupon as tax pay
ing agent, was enacted on lis mo-
tion That was one of the measures
which the Courts considered as violating
the contract The State had made with the
| creditors. 1t was because Of that act,
| that the counsel Of the bondholders insti
tuted proceedings in the courts to enforce
the contract thus violated. 1t virtually
repealed the saving clause of the coupon
killers" of 1882; destroyed the essential
safeguard of the Riddleberger legislation
and opened the whole debt question to le-
gal controversy, with the State at disad-
vantage.
Gen. Wickham stated that he felt it to
TO repeal all the acts that, however well
designed, had the effect to impair the Bid
! dleberger adjustment.
| OF course the Democratic Senators could
not be brought to tie admission that they
| had erred in the legislation they had
enacted, and consequently Senators w IL
liams and Koiner opposed the motion of
Gen. Wickham to suspend the rules and
| pass his resolLti IN re- enactng the Riddle
Der legislation That would have been q
confession to- Republican wisdom thai
these astute statesmen could not maize
| They had not the courage to acknowledge
their error, but proceeded to consider q
number of repudiating motions, and one
to furnish the Attorney General an assis
tant to do the work which he was elected
and is paid tOperform and another to place
Hon. J. r. Tucker Oh the u. S. Supreme
Court Bench
The action Of the Legislature not only
at this extra session, bnt ip every sFssiGn
since the Democrats got control Of it in
1883, has been absolutely childish. Al
most every act relating to coupons has
been directly in the face of The decisions
of the courts and consequently futile. 1t
has been nothing but triflng with serious
subJect-piling up statutes to advertise
the weakness and imbecility of the body
that enacted them, and bring discredit
upon the people they CLAIM to represent.
There never has been in the history of
this or any other Commonwealth, such an
utter ABSENCE OF a sense of conscientious
public duty-such an insane, reckless, par
tran spirit. subordiaating everything to
the necessities of q political faction. Eve
ry enactment that has been passed since
the Democrats obtained control of the
Legislature in 1888, has had the effect to
confuse the debt question, embarrass the
State and inj4riously affect the people.
Not single statute can be pointed out
enacted in that time which has not had
the effect to further complcate the debt !
matter, intensity distrAst, invite reproach
and inllict an amount of wrong upon the |
Commonwealth that cannot be well COM
puted. And for all this ill-ligested, crude, |
illogical and audaeious legislation the peo !
pie have to pay, not only in the actual ex-
penses of the regular, adjourned and extra
sessions of the General Assembly, but in
the constructive disgrace Inflicted upon !
the State, by the effect upon outside com.
munities Of such legislation. 1t is a re-
cord that ought 70 eon4emn any party,
and call down the indignant rebuke of any
people.
The Highland Recorder says the grass